Financial squeeze forces Transhelp to put centre up for sale

Transhelp Foundation has blamed unsustainable running costs for its decision to sell its Tarcutta respite centre.

Transhelp CEO Dianne Carroll.

A lack of financial resources has seen Transhelp Foundation put its Tarcutta respite centre up for sale.

The foundation, which offers a wide range of support services to drivers and their families, such as health checks and counselling, is selling the facility as it is unable to keep up with running costs, CEO Dianne Carroll says.

The former aged care centre of 12 rooms in New South Wales was home to the foundation’s national 24/7 call centre.

It also offered training and counselling services and respite for drivers, widows and families and provided shelter for around 50 people each year.

It was purchased in 2009.

"We have approached government on federal and state level and what we have found over the five years we’ve had the facility is we’ve had 11 MPs come and have a look and absolutely be astounded with the work we do, making plenty of promises but coming through with nothing," Carroll says.

"We want to sustain ourselves into the future and we can’t sustain ourselves with losing money over the facility. I would rather see that go into something that we know is making a difference and if we can save one life then you can’t put a price on it.

"Because it’s voluntary and the facility costs money to maintain and to run, it just makes it impossible to sustain it."

The foundation was established in 2006 after Carroll’s first husband was killed in a truck accident.

There are eight mobile health and support vans travel across the country providing drivers with health and welfare checks.

The unit also visits transport depots conducting health assessments.

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